Rob Hayles, the British pursuit and madison rider withdrawn from the recent world track championships in Manchester after an irregular blood test, expects to be given the green light to resume racing today. Under the rules of the International Cycling Union (UCI) he had his licence rescinded for 15 days but it will be returned today, on the expiry of that period, if he passes a follow-up blood test scheduled for this morning.

For most people, cycling is a means of improving their health and boosting fitness which only makes it all the more confusing why people are suddenly flocking to electric bicycles.

Pedelecs and e-bikes take some of the sweat out of biking, letting an engine take over part of the work.

Numbers attest to their popularity. 'The number of electric bicycles sold doubled in 2007 from 20,000 to 40,000,' said Siegfried Neuberg of the ZIV Bicycle Industry Association in Bad Soden, Germany. 'The trend will continue in 2008.'

Bumper-to-bumper traffic, road rage, no parking spots and long delays getting from one point to another. No, I'm not describing the big city; I'm talking about conditions in some of our national parks, state parks, and national monuments. Our treasured parks are being loved to death, as hoards of people visit, bringing with them an onslaught of automobiles.

Some people take overcrowded buses to Tibet's capital Lhasa, while others make the trip by ritually prostrating themselves along the road in traditional fashion. In October 2004, with winter fast approaching, Hsieh Wang-ling decided to enter the holy city on a bicycle. Along the way, the 24-year-old Taiwanese encountered warm-hearted pilgrims and a great deal of adventure.

Cyclists are offered free 'hi-viz' vest in a council bid to reduce accidents.Sheffield Council has successfully promoted cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative, but as the numbers taking to two wheels has increased so have the number of cyclists injured.

In a citywide campaign to reduce the number of accidents involving bikes the council is now offering cyclists a free 'hi-viz' vest (whilst stocks last).

The massive cost of London's hosting of the 2012 Olympics was brought into focus yesterday when it was revealed that the cost of the aquatics centre has quadrupled since the city's successful bid for the Games in 2005.

The ODA also said that the cost of the VeloPark, for track, road and BMX cycling would be £80 million, compared with the £28 million originally quoted.

A community meeting last Wednesday marked one of the first steps the city of Long Beach is taking to update its Bicycle Master Plan and make the city more bike-friendly.

About 30 residents attended the meeting, most arriving on bikes, according to city Transportation Programs Manager Sumire Gant. The goal of the meeting was to get feedback from the community in order to help the city update its Bicycle Master Plan as part of a Long Beach 2030 general plan update.

Saturday 19th April sees the welcome return of Tandem Racing to Irish Cycling with the inclusion of a Tandem Race as part of the John Beggs Memorial race hosted by Banbridge Cycling Club in Dromore Co. Down starting at 12 noon.

Social deprivation linked to four-fold increase in risk of serious injury in child pedestrians

Rates of serious injury in child pedestrians are four times higher in the most deprived areas of England than in the least deprived, and three times higher for child cyclists, according to a study published today in the Online First edition of Archives of Disease in Childhood journal.

Child injury mortality has declined over the last twenty years, from about 11 deaths per 100,000 children aged 0-15 in 1981 to 4 deaths per 100,000 children in 2001. However, socio-economic inequalities remain. This study, from a team led by Dr. Phil Edwards of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), demonstrates that a child's risk of non-fatal injury may be determined by how socially deprived their neighbourhood is.

Exactly four months before the start of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, delegations from 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) learnt today about the IOCâ€šs latest appraisal of the air quality in the Chinese capital.

An American inventor living in the UK has won an international design competition for a cycling jacket that changes colors when the cyclist brakes. According to the inventor the idea came from wanting to feel safer when cycling in London.